Lock Down
by storytellergirl
Summary: Hermoine and Draco get stuck in a broom closet together...Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't have any rights over anything _Harry Potter_ etc.**

**Lock Down**

"We're going to be in so much trouble," moaned Hermoine. She was fidgeting anxiously as she tried to keep as close to Harry and Ron as possible. The trio was not only out after curfew and without the infamous invisibility cloak—Hogwarts was under a self-afflicted lock down; meaning that there was a deadly beast roaming the school and students were supposed to stay in their dormitories until the teachers said otherwise.

"Stop being such a baby," whispered Ron hoarsely.

"We're going to be expelled," continued Hermoine blithely ignoring the red head. "The smartest witch for my age and I'm going to be expelled! Why do I let you two drag me into these things? So you forgot something in the library—that's no reason to stalk about the school when a deranged beast is on the loose."

"A deranged beast?" squeaked Ron. "I thought you said it wasn't that serious, Harry."

"I lied." Harry turned back to look at Hermoine with a large grin on his face. "You're only with us because you love us so much. You'd hate to see us killed."

"Oh yes," agreed Hermoine sarcastically. "This is why I left my wand behind in the common room."

"What did you go and do that for?" asked Ron making a face.

Hermoine scowled. "That's it. You're both getting coal for Christmas this year," she quipped.

"Now, Hermoine—" Ron's words died in his throat as heavy footsteps came from further up the corridor, headed straight towards them. "What was that?"

"Possibly the deranged beast," murmured Harry with a quiver in his voice.

"We're gonna die!" squeaked Ron again. "We should never have come. Screw the library!"

"A lot of good that does us now," hissed Hermoine as she peeled Ron off of her arm. The three friends huddled close together as the footsteps became louder and louder. Hermoine opened her mouth to let out an ear piercing scream when none other than Draco Malfoy came around the corner with a smirk on his face.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

"Well, I was right about the deranged part. Not so much on the beast though." Harry sighed in relief.

"Not unless you consider a ferret a beast," muttered Hermoine darkly.

"Just look at it this way, Hermoine," replied Harry with a small chuckle. "It doesn't look like we're going to be expelled tonight."

"Some consolation. Instead we're wandering around after hours with Malfoy and a deranged beast on the loose." Hermoine shook her head in disgust.

"Out after curfew, eh, Potter? You're going to get it this time. Just wait until one of the Professors hears about this." Draco was practically glowing in delight as he contemplated the new edge he now had over his archrival.

Harry rolled his eyes and retorted, "You can't possibly tell anyone, Malfoy. You're out after hours too, you know. None of the Professors are dumb enough to let you get by without some kind of detention."

Draco frowned and seemed intent on saying something back when another sound came from further down the hallway. The four teens peered into the darkness, straining their ears for another sound. It came as a low rumble, one normally made from deep within a beastly chest. Draco whipped out his wand the same time as Harry and Ron.

Hermoine gave a small shriek at the sight of Ron's wand. "You can't use that, Ronald! We want to _defend_ ourselves, not _harm _ourselves!"

"The mudblood's right," said Draco.

"Oh shove off!" snapped Hermoine glaring at the white haired boy. "No one asked for your opinion, you bloody idiot!"

"Well done, Hermoine," cheered Ron stuffing his wand back into his pocket. He gave Harry an apologetic shrug. "Sorry mate, looks like you're going to have to work with Malfoy on this one. I'm not very good anyway."

"Thanks," replied Harry turning to look into the darkness once more. Harry and Draco kept their wands at the ready just as a large creature loomed into view. It was a monstrously hairy beast with a broad chest of fur; it stood on four large paws with claws sharp as could be; all that could be seen of the head was the large snout breathing out fire, razor sharp teeth, and two very sharp horns above its red rimmed eyes. All in all the deranged creature did not look very forgiving.

"What is that thing?" asked Draco lowering his wand briefly to stare at the creature with wide eyes.

"Whatever it is—run!" cried out Harry. Hermoine and Ron didn't think twice as they turned around with Harry to run back the way they had come. Behind them Draco was doing his best to keep up as the beast started after them.

"We'd best split up—we might lose the creature that way," hollered Hermoine. Harry nodded and pulled Ron down an empty hallway. Hermoine glanced behind her and paused long enough to grab Draco by the hand and tug him down another empty hallway. Loud roars of resentment filled the castle as Hermoine and Draco continued running as fast as they could.

"In here!" ordered Draco after a while, yanking Hermoine to a sudden halt. Hermoine didn't have time to protest as Draco pulled her into a broom closet, shutting the door tightly after them. The two were silent as they fearfully listened for the beast. They could hear the clicks of the claws as the creature moved down the hallway slowly, searching for its fleeing prey. It snorted angrily and finally made its way down the hall, until Hermoine and Draco could no longer hear it.

"I think it's gone," said Hermoine, her breath ragged from all the running.

"Did you think of that one all by yourself?" sniggered Draco reaching for the doorknob. He tried to turn it open, but the knob wouldn't budge. "Hey now, what's this? It's locked."

"Locked?" repeated Hermoine. "What do you mean locked? Unlock it!"

"I can't," replied Draco evenly. "I dropped my wand."

"You must be joking. I am stuck in a broom closet with _you_? How is that even possible? I don't deserve this kind of punishment." Hermoine pushed Draco aside and tried with all her might to pull the door open, but to no avail. It was locked, and they were stuck.

"Where's your wand?" asked Draco glancing at her jeans and long sleeved shirt suspiciously.

"In the common room. I wasn't planning on leaving this evening," retorted Hermoine hotly. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at the door. Harry and Ron would have to find her eventually. If not, well, she supposed Filch would be by in the morning to get out some of the supplies inside.

"This is just great," muttered Draco to himself. He looked around the closet and quickly found a bucket sitting nearby. He turned it over and took a seat as Hermoine took a seat on an empty crate. "I'm stuck in here with you of all people. My day couldn't possibly get any worse."

"Believe me, this wasn't _my_ brilliant idea. It was yours. So it's no one's fault but your own, you imbecile. And here I thought you actually had a brain. Apparently you don't use it often enough to even call it that."

"I'm not the one who left my wand in the common room," snapped Draco.

"No, but at least _I _didn't drop it running from a deranged creature roaming the walls of Hogwarts!"

"Well…well…" sputtered Draco insolently. "At least…I…oh forget it!"

"Gladly." Silence reigned over the pair as each pouted the unexpected outcome of being out after curfew. Finally Draco glanced over at Hermoine and broke the silence.

"Why don't you start looking for a way out of here?"

"Why can't you?" retorted Hermoine warily.

"Because I'm the superior one here, that's why."

"Superior my ass. You're a spoiled, foul mouthed, ferret."

Draco glowered at the insult. "At least I don't have bushy hair."

"Compared to yours that will more than likely fall out one day as a result of all the hair gel you used to use? I'll take my bushy hair, thank you very much."

"Don't be a smart ass."

"Then don't say stupid things." Hermoine tossed out her words in frustration glancing over at the door in hopes that someone would eventually open it. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be,

**A/N—Alright, so I saw the latest movie like a week ago, and it's been ages since I've written a HP ficlet, so I thought I'd try my hand at one. I'm not sure how long it'll turn out; I guess it depends on what people think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.**

**II**

"I'm bored," announced Draco suddenly.

Hermoine bit her tongue to keep from lashing out at him. "Then put the bucket on your head," she replied evenly.

"How is that fun?"

"It'll be a surprise when I try to murder you. For Merlin's sake, can't you just keep quiet? Complaining isn't going to get us out of here any sooner," said Hermoine with an exasperated sigh.

Draco made a face. "You really are a bookworm."

"Just because I like it quiet? You're insane! I'm going to need intensive therapy after I get out of here."

"It's alright, really. You just need to loosen up a little."

Hermoine raised her eyebrows. "This coming from Hogwarts' biggest prat? You practically grovel at Professor Snape's feet so you can get high marks—and _you're _telling _me _to loosen up? Isn't that a bit of a contradiction, Malfoy?"

"You don't know what you're talking about. People wish they were me," stated Draco off-handedly.

"Oh yes, I'm sure they do," agreed Hermoine nodding. "Because we all wish we could hang out with the two piggiest eaters in school. It's such a shame really, that Crabbe and Goyle are you're only friends."

"They aren't my only friends. There's Blaise too."

"The boy who looks kind of like a donkey?"

"A what key?" asked Draco in confusion.

"Honestly, don't you know what a donkey is?" returned Hermoine with a disappointing shake of her head.

"Uh, is it that thing that was chasing us earlier?" offered Draco.

"And I thought Ron was a bit slow."

Draco frowned but didn't say a word. He crossed his arms against his chest and leaned back on his bucket—only to fall right off and onto the ground because he hadn't been close to the wall. Hermoine brought a hand to her mouth as she dissolved into laughter.

"It isn't _that_ funny," growled Draco as he sat up on the backs of his hands.

"Oh yes it is," murmured Hermoine taking a deep breath and then giggling some more. "Here you are trying to tell me that people want to be just like you—and you can't even sit on a bucket properly!"

"Har har. I'm sorry I'm not laughing along with you."

Hermoine shrugged. "It's your loss, not mine. Maybe you can dig us out while you're down there."

"I don't do manual labor," replied Draco making a face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot we already talked about you not using that thing you call a brain. Does it hurt when you think?"

"Bloody prude."

Hermoine rolled her eyes. It wasn't much of an insult coming from Malfoy. He must have been losing his edge being locked up in such a small space. Maybe his brain was getting more air than it was used to compared to life in Slytherin. Draco furrowed his eyebrows and kicked the bucket he had fallen off of. It skittered into the back of the broom closet, only to knock the brooms onto the shelves—directly down upon his and Hermione's head.

"Watch out," growled Draco pulling Hermoine to the ground before she was seriously injured. The two teens covered their heads and winced in pain as shelves of equipment, as well as brooms and mops fell on top of them in a noisy heap.

Hermoine spat out some ancient dust with a cough as Draco struggled to sit up on his elbows. Unfortunately he wasn't strong enough to lift everything off his back. Draco gave up and glanced at Hermoine beside him. She was giving him a very dark look.

"What?" he asked after a while.

"Are you bored now?" she demanded harshly.

"As a matter of fact—no, I'm not bored. But thank-you for asking."

Hermoine groaned and lowered her head in exasperation. It would be much too soon if she ever got out of the closet.

**A/N—Another chapter, short, yes, but still, I'm not planning on this being an altogether long story. Just a humorous one, and if I make it too long then it will lose focus. Anyway, hope you like this one; I'm already working on the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I Still don't own this stuff.**

**III**

"Hey, Granger, why don't we play a game?" quipped Draco breaking the silence.

"Only if I'm allowed to use a weapon," mumbled Hermoine not looking up at him.

"What kind of a game uses weapons?"

"The kind where I'm able to murder you and then hide your body on school grounds so that your ghost can haunt the first years along with Moaning Myrtle."

"I was thinking more along the lines of twenty questions."

"Do we have to?" asked Hermoine finally glancing at the boy lying beside her. She shifted her weight, causing both teens to wince as more of the closet equipment settled on top of them.

"Stop fidgeting," said Draco with a frown. "Otherwise you're going to bury us alive!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to kick the bucket around and knock everything atop of us!" snapped Hermoine.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'm sorry I made a mess of things. Are you happy now? I don't apologize for just anyone you know."

"Be still my beating heart."

"Do you have to be so sarcastic?"

"Considering our current situation I would have to say yes, I do have to be sarcastic. You don't expect me to be tickled pink about all of this, do you?" returned Hermoine shaking her head.

"You could at least _try _to have some fun," murmured Draco.

"Yes, because this is my idea of fun. Being buried under a pile of rubble and locked in a broom closet with Draco Malfoy."

"When people found out about this they're going to be jealous. You're spending quality time with me—not everyone is able to experience that."

Hermoine snorted. "They're not going to be jealous. They're going to be surprised that I didn't throttle you the first five minutes we were in here."

"Think what you want, Granger, lets play twenty questions."

"Fine," relented Hermoine leaning her head in the palm of her hand as she tried to get comfortable under all the rubble.

"I'll start. Why are you friends with Potty and the Weasel?"

"Because their kind and fun to be with. They treat me like an equal. My turn. Why do you hate Harry and Ron so much?"

"That's easy. Potter tries to be everyone's friend. He hasn't learned who the worthy ones are. Weasel—he's just a poor, good for nothing idiot. Why do always have to be so perfect?"

Hermoine bit her tongue to keep quiet and answered the question. "I like learning, and the only way to learn something fully is to be very good at it. Do you always do as your father tells you?"

"Of course not. I can't be better than him if I let him run my life. What happened between you and Krum?"

"He was dull. All he cared about was himself—and he wouldn't let me study in peace. He kept staring at me. Why are you such a bully?"

Draco sighed. "Honestly, can't you come up with better questions?"

"Would you just answer, Malfoy? I'm not the one who suggested the game in the first place," returned Hermoine crisply.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your knickers in a twist. What was the question again?"

"Why are you such a bully?"

"Because power is fear."

"That's rich."

"You asked, I answered. Now, tell me, Granger, who _are _you dating? Potty or Weasel?"

"That's a stupid question. They're my friends. I couldn't date one of them—it would make things weird between the three of us!"

"It was just a question—don't jump down my throat about it."

"Hmph. Alright, Malfoy, have you actually ever kissed a girl?"

"What?" Draco looked startled. "I don't think that's any of your business!"

"I've been answering all of your dumb questions—the least you could do is answer mine!" pointed out Hermoine.

Draco narrowed his eyes at the teen girl and took a deep breath. He turned away, his ears turning red, as he answered, "No."

"Pardon me? Did you say no, Malfoy?" Hermoine brought a hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter. "Are you blushing? Well, this is a first. The great Draco Malfoy is blushing."

"Well have you?" snarled Draco turning back to Hermoine.

"Have I what?"

"Ever kissed someone?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Draco lapsed into silence as Hermoine giggled.

"This is priceless," she murmured to herself. "Wait till everyone gets a load of this."

"You wouldn't dare!" protested Draco eyeing Hermoine dangerously.

"Oh yes I would. It's not every day that someone has a hand over you, Malfoy. I'm not letting this opportunity pass me by!"

"Why you dirty little—"

"Mudblood? It doesn't change anything, Malfoy," replied Hermoine with an impish grin on her face. Draco's lips twitched in anger as he contemplated the situation. He had to protect his reputation. There was no way he could become the laughing stock at Hogwarts.

By now Hermoine was laughing out loud rather than merely giggling at his predicament. Without thinking it through, Draco grabbed her face and brought his lips crashing down on her own.

**A/N—I'm on a roll this evening. Hope you like this chapter as well.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: This seems a bit pointless because you must know that none of this belongs to me.**

**IV**

For the first few seconds Hermoine was in a state of complete shock. This was quickly followed by anger and want. The next thing Hermoine knew she was readily responding to the kiss as her mind struggled to catch up with the latest turn of events.

After what seemed like years, but was really only a mere minute, Hermione's eyes fluttered open and she instantly pushed Draco away from her.

"What?" demanded the white haired teen in surprise.

"What was that for?" snapped Hermoine shrilly. Draco Malfoy had just kissed her…_now_ she was fraternizing with the enemy. Harry and Ron were going to kill her.

"Don't freak out on me. Now you can't ruin my reputation. I _have _kissed a girl," replied Draco smugly.

Hermoine gave him an incredulous look. "You're joking, right? Kissing me doesn't help your reputation, Malfoy—it ruins it."

"But you're a girl—you are a girl aren't you?"

"Of course I'm a girl, you nitwit. But I'm the enemy. I'm best friends with Harry and Ron—I'm a mudblood! You've just turned yourself into a hypocrite!"

"Oh." Realization dawned on Draco like ice water. He opened his mouth to say something witty and just as quickly he shut it up again. If word got around about this people would laugh at him. Worse, his father might actually have a heart attack…but that really didn't sound like a bad idea. And if that happened he wouldn't have to worry about acting like a Malfoy every day. With all honesty, keeping up his act as the greatest thing to ever hit Hogwarts _did_ get tiresome. Why couldn't he just be normal? Why did he have to do everything he was told by his family—they hadn't advanced very far as result of their crude behaviors.

"Now I'm going to have to sanitize my lips," muttered Hermoine to herself. She was wiping the back of her hands across her lips in hopes that she might get rid of the warm feeling she had gotten from the kiss.

"You know what this means don't you?" asked Draco after a while. He had finally settled on a new course of action, and there was only one way to go about it.

"What?" Hermoine glanced over at Draco who seemed to have a sneaky look on his face.

"You're my girlfriend."

"I'm what?"

"My girlfriend. As of this moment we are an official couple."

"Are you feeling okay? Because I thought you just told me that I was your girlfriend."

"You are," answered Draco smoothly. "It's a romantic story. The girls will fawn over how we got together while guys will rush about trying to lock themselves in a closet with an unsuspecting girl. We'll be the talk of the school. Rita Skeeter might even do a story on us. Wait till my father hears about this—he'll never leave St. Mungo's!"

"But I—I can't be your girlfriend!" protested Hermoine wildly.

"And why not?"

"Because we're enemies!"

"A minor detail."

"One kiss doesn't make us boyfriend and girlfriend, Malfoy. That isn't how it works!"

"Do you think we should sit together for meals? Pansy wouldn't like you sitting at our table…I'll just have to sit with you then. Crabbe and Goyle can join me, that way I'll still keep my status." Draco rattled off as Hermoine stared at him in horror. "We'll have to hold hands more often. And no more trying to hex me. It wouldn't do for my girlfriend to constantly be waving a wand in my face.

"Obviously we'll have to go to Hogsmeade together. Potter and that Weasel will have to learn to behave when I'm around. They can't try and kill me off either. I should get my picture taken shaking Weasel's hand! That'll send my dad over the edge. I should probably stop calling you mudblood…I'll definitely have to work on that one."

"You're mental! You're bloody mental!" said Hermoine shaking her head in disbelief.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to work on that attitude of yours. If you're my girlfriend, Granger, then you have to act like you care about me. Who ever heard of two people going out and not liking each other?"

"Ever heard of arranged marriages?"

"Brilliant! I can propose to you in front of my father! I'll invite him down for a visit and then pop the question! That way I'll be able see him drop to the ground clutching his heart. Oh, you really are the smartest witch for your age. Great idea, Granger."

"Malfoy, I'm not going to be your girlfriend. I don't like you. I want nothing to do with you. No, that's not true—I want to throw you off the nearest bridge and watch you flap your arms around before plunging to your death!" Hermione's eyes seemed to brighten at the idea.

Draco frowned. "You've been thinking a lot about that haven't you?"

"Only since the moment I met you," agreed Hermoine sheepishly.

"Right. Well, stop trying to kill me off and put your pretty little head to better use. Come up with more things we can do as a couple," returned Draco shaking his head.

"But I just told you that I didn't want to be your girlfriend."

"You'll change your mind. We have until someone comes to let us out. That could be a while you know. So if I were you I'd get used to the idea of us being a couple. I'm not leaving this closet until you agree to be my girlfriend."

"Then get comfortable," murmured Hermoine. "Because you're going to spend the rest of your life in here."

"Just as long as you're here with me, I don't care. Now, do you want a diamond or ruby for your engagement ring?" questioned Draco seriously.

**A/N—Another chapter for your enjoyment. Thanks for all the great reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I still don't own this stuff.**

**V**

Hermoine gave a loud sigh. It had been almost three hours since she had first been locked in the broom closet with Draco. Truth be told, after two of those hours of Draco going on and on about their "relationship" he was starting to grow on her. Of course, Hermoine wasn't going to admit it.

"Hermoine," started Draco after a while.

"What?" asked Hermoine with a dull yawn.

"Do you think we should have a big wedding or a small one? I think we should have it at Hogwarts. Neutral ground—everyone will come here."

"Draco, for the last time, I'm _not _going to marry you."

"Either you agree to marry me or you agree to be my girlfriend." Draco was sulking, causing Hermoine to roll her eyes in amusement. He could be amusing when he wanted to.

"Fine," she murmured closing her eyes sleepily.

"Fine what?" asked Draco.

"I'll be your girlfriend. I'm tired of arguing my case." Hermoine rested her head on the ground, settling in for a nap. Draco frowned and then poked Hermoine in the arm. "What?" she asked softly.

"You're going to give up? Just like that?" questioned Draco in confusion. Hermoine peered up at Draco who wore a deep frown.

"I know, it's hard to believe, isn't it? But after hearing you jabber on and on about giving your dad a heart attack and planning all of these things we can do together—why not? Besides, you're starting to grow on me."

"I knew it," crowed Draco triumphantly. "You do have feelings for me."

"I said you were growing on me, not that I had any sort of feelings for you," protested Hermoine.

"Close enough. You and I are going to make Hogwarts history. We'll see if Potter can top that. Slytherin and Gryffindor uniting…more people are going to respect me after this."

"Says who?" snorted Hermoine bringing her head up to rest in the palm of her hand.

"I make all the rules in Slytherin. No one does anything without my consent. They don't go against me either. They'll have to go along with me dating you. I have complete control in Slytherin. And you—you're getting the highest marks in school, and you're from Gryffindor. Everyone else will look to you as a role model. If you date me then the school will have to accept the Slytherins as equals."

"Fine, whatever."

Draco grinned. "I knew you'd come around. We're going to get along great, you and me. Just wait and see. Next thing you know we'll be planning a wedding."

"Just as long as you stop talking about weddings. We're too young for that kind of talk."

"Whatever you say my love."

Hermoine groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"A romance for the ages."

"You are _so _corny, did you know that? If we're going to be boyfriend and girlfriend then you need to stop being a hopeless romantic. No one's going to take you seriously if you're swooning all over the place. Goodness, don't you know anything about relationships?"

"Well it's not like my parents have been shining examples of true love," replied Draco with a shrug. "I'm just following my heart."

"You really are something else, Draco." Hermoine shook her head with a giggle, bringing a smile to Draco's face.

"You're not just agreeing to be my girlfriend because you're tired of me going on about us, are you?" he asked in a more serious manner.

"No. I really think I might like you, Draco. Of course, it could be a result of lying underneath a pile of rubble for the past few hours with you. Then again, it could also be because there was something different when we kissed."

"I'm that good?"

"No, you're that heartfelt. I could feel a million emotions with that one kiss."

"Oh, and here I thought it was a spider running up and down my spine." Draco grinned. "You're a lot different than I thought you would be."

"Same here. You really aren't that arrogant and…well maybe you are, but you have a good heart. And that's what matters the most," said Hermoine with a small smile.

"Thanks. It's nice not having to be the me my father wants me to be. I'd much rather be normal."

"And apparently being normal consists of trying to give your father a heart attack?" Hermoine raised her eyebrows in question as Draco flushed a light pink.

"That's just a bonus," he replied cheekily.

"I'm sure it is."

"The other bonus is getting to date the girl of my dreams," finished Draco winking at Hermoine.

"Oh really now? I'm not sure that I believe you, Draco Malfoy," teased Hermoine.

"Then I guess I'll have to show you." Draco leaned towards Hermoine's face and met her lips in a gentle kiss. It was at this precise moment that the door to the broom closet swung open, startling the couple.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" demanded Ron. Draco and Hermoine looked up to see Ron, Harry, Snape, McGonagall, and Filch staring down at them.

**A/N—I know, another cliffy, but who can blame me, right? The next chapter is the last one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Obviously this stuff isn't mine.

**VI**

The next morning started out as normal. Students filed into the Great Hall for breakfast as their teachers took their own customary seats in front. Very few of the students noticed the appalled looks Snape and McGonagall kept giving each other in between bites of food.

At the Gryffindor table many of the students were trading jokes and late night rumors. They had all heard about Harry's latest escapade concerning the deranged creature that had been terrorizing Hogwarts. It seemed he and Ron had managed to render the beast unconscious just as Filch came upon the scene. Sure they had detention for the next two weeks for being out past curfew, but so did Hermoine and Draco Malfoy who had also been caught breaking curfew.

The doors of the Great Hall opened, causing a few students to glance up in curiosity. Ginny was the first to notice, and thereupon dropped her fork with a clatter. Neville and Seamus looked over to see if she was alright, but followed her open mouthed gaze to the entrance. What they saw left them speechless. Soon the Great Hall was deathly silent; all eyes were on the doorway.

Standing hand in hand were Draco Malfoy and Hermoine Granger. Directly behind them Crabbe and Goyle were struggling to keep Ron on his feet. The red headed Weasley was in shock, whether from dealing with a deranged creature of the night, or because of Draco and Hermoine. Harry moved out from behind Ron and led the way towards his usual spot at the table.

Draco followed suit with Hermoine still clutching his hand. She really did hate all the attention, but she knew it couldn't be helped. Harry sat down with Draco beside him, and Hermoine beside Draco. Crabbe and Goyle took seats across from them with Ron in between them.

Harry leaned forward to take a bite to eat when he noticed that people were still staring. "What?" he asked impatiently. "Haven't you ever seen a group of friends sit down to eat?"

"S'all right, mate," said Draco giving Harry a pat on the back. "It's still early in the morning."

"Right." Harry nodded in agreement and glared at the people sitting nearby. As soon as the students began to look away Harry turned to Draco and muttered under his breath, "Touch me again and I swear I will turn you into a ferret permanently. I don't care that Hermoine threatened to hex me—I'll take my chances."

"Suit yourself," whispered Draco calmly. "Hermoine already threatened me last night. I'm not allowed to lay a finger on you without her permission. And she's awfully scary when she's angry."

"No kidding," agreed Harry with a sigh. "Ron's still recovering from eating all those slugs again. I thought she was going to kill all of us last night."

"Well you can't blame her. You and Ron _did _tackle me once I was standing up again."

"Done complaining about me?" asked Hermoine sweetly. Harry and Draco turned to the young witch with plastered smiles on their faces. "Oh come off it, I'm not _really _going to turn you into women. It'd be a disservice to my sex."

"Just as long as you remember that," said Harry returning to his food.

"Ugh—how can you eat that?" gasped Ron staring at Crabbe and Goyle in horror as they helped themselves to the food on his plate.

"Its food," answered Crabbe with a shrug.

Ron shuddered and turned to Hermoine with an apologetic look on his face. "You're a scary woman, you know that?"

"Of course I do. How else do you think I can handle Draco?" returned Hermoine simply.

"Hey now!" protested Draco giving Hermoine an odd look. "If I recall it was me who had to convince you to be my girlfriend! I had to scare you silly with the prospect of marriage!"

"Honestly, Draco, you could have just plain out asked me to be your girlfriend. I would have said yes." With that Hermoine continued eating, blithely ignoring the shocked expressions on her companions' faces.

"Did you just hear that?" asked Draco looking at Harry.

"Yeah, you'd think it was her idea for the two of you to get together," murmured Harry.

Hermoine heaved a sigh and gave both boys a steady look. "Of course it was my idea. Who do you think let that beast into Hogwarts?"

"You what?" exclaimed Ron jumping in his seat.

"Well it wasn't _my_ idea per se. Professor Snape suggested it naturally. He used the same tactics when he met Professor McGonagall," replied Hermoine.

Harry, Ron, and Draco turned in their seats to stare at Snape and McGonagall as the two teachers froze in horror.

"Do you think they know?" questioned Snape under his breath.

"I believe so, Severus," whispered McGonagall.

"Then what do you propose we do about it?"

"Run?" suggested the head witch. Snape looked ready to protest until Harry and Ron jumped out of their seats, wands raised above their heads. Snape and McGonagall were out the back door in a flash as Ron and Harry issued threats behind their retreating backs.

Draco turned his gaze to Hermoine who had a smirk on her face. "You weren't serious, were you?"

"Of course not." Hermoine gave Draco a kiss on the cheek and watched as he settled back down to eat. He barely had taken a sip of his drink when Hermoine said, "Dumbledore was the one who let the beast in. I just asked him to."

**A/N—Aw, isn't Hermoine clever? Thanks for all the great reviews. I hope you've enjoyed the story. **


End file.
